Feeding the hungry

CHILDREN OF THE Brody Family Early Learning Center at the JCC of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains collected food to benefit The StreetLight Mission in Elizabeth. The program was held in partnership with the Mandy Reichman Feeding Program, an organization that feeds the hungry in the local area. 

It is named in memory of the Barnard College student who died in 2001; a strong social activist, she set up a feeding program for the needy at her synagogue, Temple Emanu-El in Westfield. 

The youngsters who took part in the program “learn all about feeding the hungry and being thankful,” said Meryl Reichman, project organizer with her husband, Barry. She told the children, “We are overwhelmed and brought to tears at how much the JCC is expanding our daughter Mandy’s legacy and vision. We will be able to feed so many more hungry people because of your dedication and your very caring families.”

The week before Thanksgiving, preschool and kindergarten classes organized all of the donated food and boxed it up for transport to The StreetLight Mission. 

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“Hunger is a huge topic and a very difficult one for happy, nurtured children to understand,” said Randi Sosny-Handler, early childhood learning coordinator at the JCC. The activity, she said, provided an “experiential way for the students to begin grasping the concepts of giving, sharing, and donating to those who have less.” 

The JCC’s partnership with the Mandy Reichman Feeding program will continue throughout the year with food donation projects and trips to Temple Emanu-El to help the Reichman program make the weekly lunches for those in need.

For more information, contact Robin Brous, early childhood director, at 908-889-8800, ext. 204, or rbrous@jccnj.org.